PremiseMicrosatellite markers were developed for Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum, Ericaceae) to facilitate downstream genetic investigation of this species and the extremely closely related, circumboreal Rhododendron subsect. Ledum.Methods and ResultsForty‐eight primer pairs were designed using Illumina data and screened for excellent amplification. Sixteen successful pairs were developed as microsatellite markers using fluorescently labeled amplification to generate chromatogram data. These data were evaluated for intrapopulation and interpopulation variability in three populations from Alaska and Maine, USA, and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Fourteen polymorphic markers genotyped reliably, each with one to eight alleles. Cluster analysis indicates that across the range, populations can be easily discriminated. Cross‐amplification in other Rhododendron subsect. Ledum species shows broad application of the developed markers within this small, well‐supported clade.ConclusionsThese microsatellite markers exhibit significant variability and will be useful in population genetics within R. groenlandicum and for investigation of species boundaries across Rhododendron subsect. Ledum.
A floristic checklist of vascular plants was conducted at Shenandoah River State Park (SHSP) in Bentonville, Virginia during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons. SHSP encompasses 665 hectares (1619 acres) of the northern Shenandoah Valley between the Massanutten Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. The park lies in Warren County which has been botanically underexplored, consistently ranking last in plant collection metrics among the five northern Shenandoah Valley counties. SHSP contains 11 community types that span 165–296 meters above sea level from inland wetlands and river scour communities to upland forests, including endemic Central Appalachian Shale Barrens. A total of 797 collections yielded 536 unique taxa from 109 vascular plant families. These collections were secondarily extended with in-field pictures that were aggregated on an iNaturalist project page. Quick Response (QR) codes were used to link herbarium vouchers to their respective iNaturalist entry. Sixty-four county records of taxa not yet observed in Warren County and one state record, Equisetum laevigatum, were documented. As a first for SHSP, this floristic checklist provides baseline botanical knowledge of the park and expands the available digital data of vascular plants for Warren County by 20%. This augmented knowledge, in tandem with the accompanying iNaturalist project page, will not only be useful to park managers for future development and conservation plans but will also serve as a tool for community scientists to enhance their knowledge of the local flora.
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